All Rise...

The Charge

Hulk smash!

Opening Statement

While not quite the oldest dilemma to confront the human brain since the
beginning of time, it's still a question that has occupied a lot of minds, torn
friends against each other, and provoked a lot of heated discussion: Who's
stronger, Superman or the Hulk? Who would win in a fight, Spider-Man or Batman?
If Stan Lee and his cohorts had existed in ancient Greece, undoubtedly Socrates
and his students would have debated superhero match-ups in between discussions
of Socratic Method. Like many of those perennial philosophical discussions,
there are a few classic counter-arguments to these quandaries: namely,
"Batman always wins" and "Hulk is strongest one there
is"-that last one mainly on the Hulk's own insistence. The Hulk, while
always one of the more famous superheroes in the Marvel Comics stable, holds a
special place in the hearts of those who debate very grim and serious topics
like this one. Essentially a Jekyll and Hyde riff, unfortunate scientist Bruce
Banner, in a moment of anger, transforms into a unstoppable green monster that
aptly earns the name "Hulk." The Hulk's size and aggression make him
ideal fodder for these arguments, and there's nary a superhero fan who hasn't
considered who would come out on top in one fight or another. Marvel and
Lionsgate team up to offer these two animated "mini-movies" that
posits answers to the questions that have vexed Socrates and/or the guys who sit
around the local comic shop all these years.

Facts of the Case

In Hulk vs. Wolverine, the clawed mutant, pre-X-Men, is tasked by the
Canadian government to take out the perpetrator of the massacre of a small
town-a big, green perpetrator. In his first encounter with the Hulk, Wolverine
gets more than he bargained for, especially when it turns out he's not the only
one with an interest in taking down the Hulk.

The Hulk is drawn into the immortal conflicts of the gods in Hulk vs.
Thor. Kidnapped by Loki, the Norse God of Mischief, the Hulk falls under
Loki's control and is used as a blunt weapon in an assault on Asgard, the home
of the gods. Thor, God of Thunder, is called upon to defend his homeland and
battle for the Hulk's very soul.

The Evidence

The requirements for a project called Hulk vs… are pretty
simple: pick a target for Ol' Purple Pants, point him at it, and watch the
sparks fly. While Marvel's similar Ultimate Avengers films
attempt a well-rounded movie experience, the mandate is different with these
episodes, sold individually or in this two-disc edition. And these are, rightly,
called "episodes," as neither feature clocks in at over 45 minutes.
Even the filmmakers' refer to them as "mini-movies" (with the hint
that budgets were to blame for the abbreviated running times). The length,
though, is hardly a deterrent, as there's little to explain, and even less to
evoke: there's not much in the way of human drama in Hulk vs.. No, forty minutes or so is just
about right for some smashing and counter-smashing. While hardly brainless,
these episodes aim to please viewers looking for a good fight.

The most immediately successful of the two is Wolverine, enlivened by
a punchier script than its Norse cousin. Craig Kyle and Chris Yost,
screenwriters for both episodes, are veteran comic book writers and well-versed
in the world of the X-Men, and as such seem to have injected Wolverine
with a bit more energy. The tone of the movies is established early on, as Hulk
and Wolverine wail on each other with PG-13 abandon. These are not cartoons for
a Saturday morning; these are often surprisingly brutal beatdowns. Claws rend
flesh, bones shatter, blood flows, limbs fly (tellingly, Kyle and Yost spend
much of their commentary keeping track of how many characters' arms are ripped
off). All delusions that these are targeted to a younger audience-Thor is similarly graphic—vanish the
second Wolverine sinks adamantium claw into green skin. With that out of the
way, Wolverine and Hulk battle across the Canadian wilderness, generally
demolishing nature and each other. A forced stalemate brings in a whole new
group of characters with an interest in both of the combatants.

Of the two movies, Wolverine offers the most lore straight from the
comics. It's gratifying, as a devotee, to see the faithfulness of the
adaptation, from Wolverine's pre-X-Men mask to an accurate re-presentation of
Barry Windsor-Smith's "Weapon-X" origin story for Wolverine. The
spoilers of the Wolverine-Hulk fight, agents put together by a rival agency, are
a group of depraved characters familiar to X-Men fans, including Deadpool, who
absolutely steals every scene he's in (his own movie can't be too far behind,
can it?). Between its mix of comic book nods and top-this action set pieces,
culminating in the complete destruction of an underground military installation,
Hulk vs. Wolverine is a worthy bout between two characters who don't like
to lose.

The more somber movie is the Thor chapter, which features just as
much violence as Wolverine but is mired in the same melodramatic
cosmology that plagues the comics. Rather than an all-out brawl, this is a
conflict between gods, as Loki manipulates the Hulk into an assault on Thor and
Asgard, home of his godly brethren. The lack knives jutting out of forearms
doesn't make this installment any less brutal, with Thor knocked about like a
ragdoll as Hulk steamrolls his way through the Asgardian military. While vs.
Thor is full of just as many nods to the fans as Wolverine, it's just
not as neat to see, say, the Warriors Three as it is to see fast-healing mutants
go at it beneath the Canadian wilderness. By nature, Thor is a more stoic
affair: grim gods ponder their fates, mortal souls hang in the balance as
austere warriors battle on. Thor does the most for the Hulk as a
character, as demonstrated by an extended fantasy sequence in which Bruce Banner
is granted his heart's desire. It's the closest the Hulk/Banner comes to depth
between the two movies. The sequence doesn't last long, however. It isn't long
before the Hulk is a blunt instrument again, there to make trouble for the God
of Thunder and cause a lot of damage that would cost millions in special effects
if done in live action. Kyle and Yost have less of an affinity for Thor, and it
shows; their Thor script, despite its violence, lacks the glee of the
Wolverine installment. In approaching Thor's Hulk as a raging
counterpart to Wolverine's more reactive, child-like Hulk, the creators
commendably draw a distinction between their interpretations of the character,
but the Asgard throwdown is simply less fun than its more gonzo
counterpart.

Included on the Wolverine disc are two commentaries, one by the
production team of Frank Paur, Kevin Altieri, and Butch Lukic and one by
screenwriters Kyle and Yost. Given the overlap in the films' production, some
anecdotes and trivia get repeated, but these are by and large genial and
informative commentaries by animation veterans. "This Is Gonna Hurt"
is a substantial making-of featurette with lots of footage of the voice actors
doing their thing (Fred Tatasciore's Hulk is impressive-and exhausting to
watch). "Fan Frenzy" chronicles the film's reception at the
nerd-stravaganza San Diego Comicon, about as ideal a test audience as the
filmmakers were likely to find. This disc is rounded out by a brief featurette
promoting the just-started Wolverine
and the X-Men cartoon.

The bonus features on one movie are mirrored on the other, so Thor's
features are structured similarly. The God of Thunder gets his own pair of
commentaries by the same creative staff, and "Of Gods and Monsters,"
the behind-the-scenes feature, features more of Tatasciore's grunting. A sadly
brief featurette, "Jack Kirby and Thor," recounts artist Jack
Kirby's influence on the comic book and how that is reflected in the movie.
Thor's turn at the promotional wheel is a glimpse (mostly pencil tests)
of the upcoming Thor: Tales of
Asgard DTV movie.

Closing Statement

Each mini-movie has its own distinct feel to it, and the animation is a cut
above the longer Marvel animated movies. Decidedly not for young kids, these are
movies made for and by fans of the material, which means lots of allusions to
the comic books and lots of violence besides. Neither film is above the material
it freely adapts, but it lives up to that little "vs." nestled between
the stars' names. Not surprisingly, fans of one character will prefer that one
over the other, and arguing over whose movie was better-and who deserved to
win-will have to become part of all the other arguments at the comic shop.

The Verdict

The Hulk and all his associates-hairy, divine, blonde, and/or Candian-are
free to go provided Dr. Banner is kept very, very heavily sedated.